Large composite structures are sometimes fabricated by joining together composite sandwich panels. For example, in the aerospace industry, curved composite sandwich panels may be joined together to form barrel sections used for space exploration vehicles, fuel tanks and airplane fuselages, to name only a few. In some applications, the panels may be assembled on a cylindrical cure mandrel and then processed in an autoclave to co-cure the panels and form an integrated structure with strong joints between the panels. However, autoclave processing may not be feasible in applications where the dimensions of the composite structure exceed the size of commercially available autoclave equipment.
Out-of-autoclave processes for joining sandwich truss core panels to form large composite structures have been developed as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/243,926 filed Oct. 1, 2008, and Ser. No. 12/398,138 filed Mar. 4, 2009. These prior applications disclose processes for joining pre-cured sandwich panels having fluted truss type cores using adhesively bonded scarf joints. In order to produce a barrel section using these panels, the core flutes must substantially “match-up” at the panel joints in order avoid areas where the structure has less than the desired shear and stiffness capability. Matching up the core flutes may be difficult in a manufacturing environment because as the panels are placed on the mandrel and joined together, the position of the flutes of adjoining panels in the final joint may vary in location for a number of reasons, including variations in accumulated manufacturing tolerances. This variability may lead to a condition where the position of the final core flute in the last joint is too far from the joint centerline to maintain the desired shear and stiffness capability relative to the remainder of the panel.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of forming joints between sandwich panels employing fluted cores which accommodate variations in the location of the panel ends relative to the final joint centerline. There is also a need for a method of fabricating curved composite structures formed by truss core panels connected together by such joints.